Aeroplane



Sept 29, 1931- R. B. BElsEL 1,825,301

AEROPLANE Filed Aug. 8, 1928 MINIME] WIM] INVENTOR.

Patented Sept. 29, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE REX B. BEISEL, F HEMPSTENAD, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO CURTISS AEROPLANE & MOTOR COMPANY, INC., A. CORPORATION 0F NEW YORK A EROPLANE Application led August 8, 1928. Serial No. 298,147.

My invention relates to aeroplanes and portion of an aeroplane showing the fuselage more particularly to the fuselage thereof. construction thereof and the relation of the Heretofore, aeroplane fuselages have been various fuselage sections one to the other;

0f one or the other of two distinct types, i. e., Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Fig.

either monocoque or trussed. The mono- 1, and 55 coque body is advantageous in that the inte- Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1 in which a rior thereof is generally clean and unobstructJ modified arrangement is illustrated. ed throughout, while the trussed type body is In the embodiment of the invention selectadvantageous in that for a given size it is ed for illustration, an aeroplane of more or lighter and cheaper to construct and in a less conventional appearance is shown. Said ce crash, is not quite so'likely to injure the occuaeroplane comprises the usual streamline pant or occupants of the machine. An object fuselage or body 10, wing structure 11, and of the present invention is to embody in an landing gear 12. The fuselage 10, as previaeroplane fuselage certain characteristics of ously intimated, is transversely divided 4to 1'5 both the above mentioned types. Throughprovide a forward section 13, an intermediate out that portion of its length in which the section 14, and a rear or tail section 15. The pay-load is housed and hence, where maxiforward section 13 is preferably' of trussed mum available storage space is required, the construction, is detachably fastened to the fuselage. is constructed in monocoque form. forward end of the intermediate section 14,

Throughout the remaining portion of its and is adapted to receive within the exterior length it is trussed. Within said trussed por- Cowling 15 thereof the power plant. On its tion, and referably aft the storage compartunder side said section 13 has fastened thereto ment, coc pit space is provided, and within suitable streamlined cowling 16 within which said trussed portion, ahead of said compartthe radiator 17 of the power plant is enclosed.

y men-t, the power plant is enclosed. The fuse- The intermediate section 14, unlike the forlage, therefore, may be said lto comprise three ward section 10, is of monocoque construction separate fuselage sections, to wit: an intermethroughout. Within said section a compartdiate or monocoque section having formed ment 18 for merchandise or like pay-load is therein a compartment for merchandise or formed. Preferably the monocoque body 3o like pay-load, a rear or trussed section having section is internally longitudinally reinforced so formed therein a cockpit; and a front or third as at 19 and transversely reinforced as at 20, section within which is enclosed the power the longitudinal reinforcing members being f plant. The sections, altho individually seppreferably disposed in forward prolongation arable, collectively provide a fuselage or body of the longrons of the rear or tail section. l

3:5v in which the advantages of both the mono- Said monocoque section is further reinforced, 85 coque and trussed type body are to a large externally, by stringers 21 extending longiextent retained. `tudinally thereof in parallel spaced relation.

A further object of the invention is to pro- As indicated Vin Fig. 2, said monocoque secvide a transversely divided aeroplane fusetion is-clean or unobstructed from end to' end 40 flage in which the fuel tank, mounted'beneath and is preferably so formed as to provide on 90 the intermediate fuselage section, is so shaped' the underside thereof space to receive a fuel and arranged as to merge the streamlines of tank 22. Said tank (see Fig. 1) is so shaped the forward or engine section Cowling into and constructed as to round out the lines of the corresponding lines of the rear or cockthe monocoque section and at the same time pit section. x merge the streamlines of the cowled-in en- 95 Y Other objects and advantages of the ingine section into the corresponding lines of vention will be hereinafter disclosed. the rear or tail section 15. If desired, hatches In the drawings, wherein like reference 22 and 23 may be provided that access to characters denote like or corresponding parts, the pay-load compartment may be had.

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a substantial The rear or tail section 15 o f the fuselage 100 Gai is of conventional truss construction. It comprises a skeleton frame attached at its forward end to the rear end of the monocoque section 14. Said skeleton frame includes upper longrons 24, lower longerons 25 as well as vertical, horizontal, and diagonal truss members 26. As a fuselage of truss construction is considered to be a safer proposition than a. fuselage of monocoque form, said rear fuselage section has formed therein near its forward end a cockpit 27 for the occupant or occupants of the machine. Moreover, said rear fuselage section l5 is suitably cowled or covered in a manner such that its exterior lines merge into the corresponding lines of the intermediate section 14.

In the modification of Fig. 3, the same general construction and arrangement is illustrated. The forward or engine section, however. instead of having mounted therein a power plant of the water-cooled type necessitating a radiator. said section has mounted therein an air-cooled power plant. The cowling for said forward or engine section is therefore differently formed. Preferably said cowling is rounded off rearwardly and on the under side of t-he fuselage is so shaped as to merge the exterior lines of the engine section into the exterior lines of the gas tank mounted beneath the intermediate or monocoque section of the body.

An aeroplane or aeroplane fuselage characterized as above set forth has certain advantages, which are desirable. Throughout that portion of its length given over to the storage of merchandise or like pay-load it is of monocoqne construction whereas thru the remainingportion of its length, both fore and aft said monocoque section, it is of trnssed construction. It will be seen, therefore, that an aeroplane fuselage thus constructed is a distinct improvement over the more or less conventional unit types. Moreover, by separately constructing each of the three sections of the fuselage, said sections may be separately assembled, removed, and replaced.

lVhile I have described my invention in detail in its present preferred embodiment, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art after understanding my invention, thatJ/arions changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit -or aim in the appended claim scope thereof. I to cover all such modifications and changes.

lVhat I claim is:

In an aeroplane, a power plant, a transversely divided fuselage including a forward truss section. an intermediate monocoque section and a rear truss section, a power plant attached to and partly enclosed within said forward truss section, a landing gear and a supporting surface, said landing gear and said supporting surface being fastened to said intermediate monocoque section, and

signature.

REX B. BEISEL. 

